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Airbnb.org announces 20,000 Afghan refugees have received housing, including in Canada

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Key Takeaways

  • Six months after announcing its commitment to offer free, temporary housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees, Airbnb.org has met that goal.
  • This includes providing housing to more than 160 Afghan newcomers in Canada, with Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Lethbridge the top three destinations.
  • Looking ahead, through Airbnb.org, the Airbnb community will continue to be a crucial resource for newly arriving Afghans as well as other newcomers, with the goal of providing housing to another 20,000 refugees.

Key Takeaways

  • Six months after announcing its commitment to offer free, temporary housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees, Airbnb.org has met that goal.
  • This includes providing housing to more than 160 Afghan newcomers in Canada, with Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Lethbridge the top three destinations.
  • Looking ahead, through Airbnb.org, the Airbnb community will continue to be a crucial resource for newly arriving Afghans as well as other newcomers, with the goal of providing housing to another 20,000 refugees.

Six months ago, Airbnb.org announced that it would help provide free, temporary housing to 20,000 Afghan newcomers in partnership with resettlement agencies and other nonprofit organizations. Today, Airbnb.org is proud to share that it has met that goal. To date, Airbnb.org has provided housing to more than 160 Afghan newcomers in Canada, with Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Lethbridge the top three destinations.

“When we began efforts to provide housing to Afghan refugees, we asked our community to open up their homes or donate to meet this critical need. Due to the generosity of our Hosts and donors to Airbnb.org, and the dedication of our nonprofit partners helping to drive this important work, we’ve been able to surpass our original goal.”

Brian Chesky, Airbnb CEO and co-founder

In Canada, Airbnb.org has worked closely with Calgary Catholic Immigration Society and their national network of 34 resettlement agencies. Airbnb.org has also partnered with the US government and all nine US resettlement agencies, including longtime partners such as the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Church World Service (CWS) and HIAS – along with Afghan-led organizations including Women for Afghan Women – as well as Refugee Action in the United Kingdom and Amnesty International Ireland.

“With the crisis in Afghanistan rapidly escalating, the International Rescue Committee is responding to meet the needs of Afghans seeking refuge in new communities across the U.S. and around the world. Airbnb.org is stepping up to help with one of the most urgent needs – providing temporary, accessible housing.  Millions of Afghans continue to need our support and we hope that Airbnb’s commitment will inspire others to help,” said David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee.

“The unprecedented national challenge to ensure Afghan newcomers are resettled with dignity and opportunity calls on all of us to help welcome our new neighbors. Airbnb.org led the way from the beginning by committing to provide free housing, and offering Americans an opportunity to contribute to this critical and urgent need. Since then, many private and civic sector leaders have joined the effort to welcome our new neighbours, amplified by the contributions of everyday Americans. Now, as Afghan newcomers begin to rebuild their lives in their new communities, Americans serving as sponsors are paving their way, providing the tools, resources, and warm embrace that will support their success. We look forward to continuing to partner with Airbnb.org to grow the community of welcomers,” said Nazanin Ash, CEO of Welcome.US.

This effort has been funded through contributions to Airbnb.org from Airbnb, CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky, and co-founder and Chairman of Airbnb.org Joe Gebbia, as well as donors to the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund. 

In addition, after committing to provide housing to Afghan newcomers, Airbnb.org also received an outpouring of interest from people within the Airbnb community and beyond looking for ways to support Airbnb.org’s initiative. More than 7,100 Hosts on Airbnb have offered free and discounted stays to Afghan refugees. In fact, thanks to these Airbnb Hosts who generously removed or reduced the cost of stays, Airbnb.org was able to house nearly 1,300 additional newcomers, in addition to the housing for 20,000 Afghan refugees that was fully funded by Airbnb.org and its donors.

Airbnb.org’s commitment to supporting newcomers continues

As Airbnb.org marks this important milestone, its work to support refugees and other displaced people around the world will continue. Through Airbnb.org, the Airbnb community will continue to be a crucial resource for newly arriving Afghans as well as other newcomers, including those from Central America – with the goal of providing free, temporary housing to another 20,000 refugees.

Over the past five years, Airbnb and Airbnb.org have connected more than 48,000 newcomers  – including US Special Immigrant Visa Program recipients, Venezuelan refugees and Afghan humanitarian parolees – to temporary housing through Airbnb.org partners, and those efforts will continue through 2022 and beyond. As a part of its commitment to provide housing to another 20,000 refugees, Airbnb.org plans to invest in the ability to more deeply understand and track the impact of this program on people’s lives, in line with its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion commitments. 

Recognizing that successful integration will require deep and sustained community-based infrastructure, Airbnb will continue to seek ways to engage Airbnb Hosts and its broader community in welcoming Afghan refugees and other newcomers — from donating or hosting with Airbnb.org to volunteering with local resettlement agencies or becoming a Sponsor. There are a myriad of ways for the Airbnb community to support newcomers, and Airbnb.org will continue to share those opportunities in the coming months and years ahead.

Ensuring newly-arrived refugees thrive in their new communities depends on cooperation with governments, community leaders, and resettlement agencies, to find long-term sustainable solutions. Airbnb.org will also continue to invest in its partners, to help bridge the critical gap in housing needs for newcomers. Last year, Airbnb.org announced the creation of its Refugee Fund and has galvanized more than 4,000 donors to further support its work with refugees and asylum seekers worldwide. Airbnb.org will also continue to support the Community Sponsorship Hub, to provide Sponsor Circles working to directly support Afghan newcomers in the United States with access to temporary housing through Airbnb.org.

As the crisis in Afghanistan escalated, Airbnb called on the entire global business community to join efforts to support Afghan newcomers – and continues to do so today, as private sector engagement remains an urgent, vital need. Airbnb will continue to support Welcome.US – a national effort to welcome Afghan newcomers to their new homes – with Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia serving on its Welcome Council.

For anyone looking to become an Airbnb.org Host or donor, go to airbnb.org/refugees today and learn how to get started.

About Airbnb 

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over
4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, most of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities.

About Airbnb.org

Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc.’s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org’s charitable purpose. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows Hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, Hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform.

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